Gene Discovery Could Yield More Treatments For Diabetics

Reporting their findings in the journal Disease and Cell Death, the researchers disclose blocking the gene – called TNFR5 – prevented a discovery that may result in new treatments for type 2 diabetes, the destruction procedure.

In accordance with the American Diabetes Association, around 29.1 million Americans are living with diabetes.

Nearly all these cases are type 2 diabetes, where the beta cells in the pancreas don't produce enough insulin or the body is not able the use the insulin which is generated.

While medicines and routine blood glucose testing can help people who have type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels, there exists a demand for more powerful treatments.

TNFR5 gene ruins beta cells in response to high amounts of sugar, fat

The team says it's well established that long term exposure into a high fat and high-sugar diet can exacerbate destruction of beta cells among individuals with type 2 diabetes, but the mechanisms behind this procedure have not been clear.

For their study, Dr. Turner and co-workers set out to discover whether there's a genetic explanation at diabetes forums.

The researchers found the gene TNFR5 had the greatest sensitivity to glucose and fatty acids, and overexpression of the gene in response to high amounts of sugar and fat .

The authors say these findings indicate that individuals with type 2 diabetes – who've not been diagnosed or especially those who have poor blood glucose direction – are more likely to exhibit the gene that is TNFR5, and, consequently, beta cell damage is exacerbated.

But there's some great news; in lab evaluations, the team found that their destruction was prevented by blocking TNFR5 in beta cells.

This implies that inhibiting action that is TNFR5 could be a promising treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes.

"We believe we've discovered among the crucial early events that results in the decline of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells due to high amounts of sugar and fat. You may find the research article at diabetes forum